Style: Pop, cumbia, ska fusion; percussion, brass, wind instruments
Country: Puerto Rico
Listen:
Hear this bitter but catchy song of a woman whose boyfriend abruptly breaks up with her to date someone else at YouTube here. This song was nominated for record of the year in the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards.
[Expand embedded video]
Translation:
Con esta guitarra maltrecha
Escribo esta historia de dos.
Pa' [para] hablar de ti con lazo y cuerda
Sería muy halagador.
With this worn out guitar
I write this story of two.
To talk of you with bows and cords
Would be too flattering.
Si te canto con to’a [toda] la orquesta
Entonces te haría un favor.
If I were to sing with the whole orchestra for you,
Then I would be doing you a favor.
Pero te cuento que hoy hay fiesta
Y va en nombre de tu traición.
(x2)
But I am telling you that today there is a party
And it is (put on) in honor of your betrayal. [*lit. And it goes in the name of your betrayal.]
(x2)
Chorus:
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Yo quiero que te vaya mal.
Yo quiero que te des la vuelta
Y no pa' que conmigo vuelvas
Si no pa' verte suplicar.
I want things to go badly for you.
I want you to turn around
And not so you return to me,
But rather to see you beg.
Yo quiero que te vaya mal.
Todo se paga en esta tierra,
Con tu traición y mala hiera
Yo quiero que te vaya mal.
I want things to go badly for you.
Everything is paid for on this earth,
With your betrayal and harsh wounding,
I want things to go badly for you.
----------------------------------------
Yo me olvidé de tu nobleza
Cuando tú me dijiste adiós.
Te pregunte con gentileza;
Dijiste se acabó el amor.
I forgot about your nobility [*alt. I forgot about your gentlemanliness]
When you said goodbye to me.
I asked you (why) with gracefulness; [*alt. I asked you (why) politely]
You told me that the love had ended.
Al par de días te veo con esa
Que te acaricia con pasión.
No hay na’ [nada] peor que un embustero
Que juega con el corazón.
In a couple of days I see you with her, [*con esa = lit. with that one]
Who caresses you with passion.
There is nothing worse than a liar
Who plays with hearts.
Ay, no hay na’, no hay na’ peor
Que un embustero
Que juega con el corazón.
Ay, there is nothing, there is nothing worse
Than a liar
Who plays with hearts.
[Chorus: "Yo quiero que te vaya mal..."]
Mentiroso, paquetero, embustero,
Traicionero, ratero, pillo, traidor,
Tú no tienes madre,
Sin vergüenza enamora’o [enamorado],
Inventor, impotente, y cueee...
Liar, trickster, deceiver,
Betrayer, thief, scoundrel, traitor,
You have no mother,
Shameless lover,
Inventor (of lies), impotent man, and cueee... [*not sure what cut-off word should be]
[Chorus: "Yo quiero que te vaya mal..."]
Translation Notes:
Todo se paga en esta tierra
Everything is paid for on this earth
This is a karma saying like, "what goes around comes around."
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Con tu traición y mala hiera
With your betrayal and harsh wounding
I would be so sad if the Yahoo! Spanish-English dictionary ceased to exist because it always has words and alternative definitions that other dictionaries are missing. Here, it helped me figure out that the last word on this line is hiera, which makes more sense than all the alternatives in lyrics sites, e.g. mala hierba (bad herb/weed), mala hierdra (bad ivy).
---
Inventor, impotente, y cueee...
Inventor (of lies), impotent man, and cueee...
I am not sure what the last word should be because it is cut-off, but it might be cuero (leather; hide), which would mean that she is calling him a leathery-skinned old man. Please leave other guesses in the comments.